[Book Notes] Invention

When designing anything, every component must have a purpose. Much like a shark that must keep moving to stay alive, manufacturers must keep innovating to stay alive. Newness rests on your laurels.

Dyson was fired from his previous wheelbarrow company simply because he lost control and one of his shareholders implanted his son. For five years Dyson made a cyclone a day. Principle: make one change at a time and see what happens.

Don't try to test a whole brand-new system at once.

Three reasons Hoover and Electrolux didn't improve: no-loss-of-suction vacuum wasn't invented, bag replacement was very profitable, and well-established companies had very little interest in new technology.

5,127 prototypes were needed to get the vacuum to license. You need to prove or disprove each theory.

— Jay